The color gray is unfairly associated with drabness and monotony. After all, if someone says they’re in a ‘gray mood’ it means that their emotions are essentially muted or colorless. Gray in terms of the living room and as an interior design color can be exactly the opposite.

The fact is that gray opens up endless design possibilities. Whether it’s an ‘achromatic’, ‘cool’ or ‘off’ gray (more about these specific terms in a bit) there is a lot that artists and designers can do with shades of gray. All the proof you need is in these 20 examples of living room decor that feature gray predominantly.

One of the reasons why darker shades of off-gray such as ‘nickle’ or ‘charcoal’ gray are such good choices for the living room and other frequently used areas in the home is that these tones hide dirt and grime remarkably well. You don’t need to worry about smudges showing up glaringly on this sectional sofa or the overlapping round coffee table pairing after a friendly get together with food and wine that goes well into the wee hours of the morning.

Anyone who thinks that grey can’t ever be lighthearted or cheerful ought to see the way it’s used as part of this living room decor for evidence to the contrary.

Another descriptor that comes to mind when ‘grey’ gets thrown into the mix is that it’s ‘old fashioned’ or aged. There’s nothing wrong with incorporating a little antique charm to the space as evidence here is the inclusion of a faux-finished wooden sign bearing the bible passage “Joshua 24 15 “. (Wall decals with this particular passage has actually become quite popular over the last few years).

The ever-so-slightly pinkish shade of gray in the sofa throw rug and the carpet serves to perfectly compliment the pink pillows and roses on the coffee table.

Here is another example of achromatic hue of grey where the color mixed in with the gray works together with the overall color scheme of the living room decor. In this case it’s different tones of peach that work together with the grey.

The most charming aspect of this renovation/shelving project has to be the chains which attach the shelving units with the wall painted in gainsboro gray. Granted, these chains are mere adornments (the shelves are fastened to the wall with L brackets) yet they still make for a nice rustic touch.

If there’s one trend that we keep on seeing repeatedly here it’s that grey goes together exceptionally well with the color tones of blonde hardwood. As it turns out the same could be said about the woven reed rug which ties this living room together.

One ingenious way to use the available living room space is by lining up the shelving/storage unit against the back of the sofa the way it’s been done here.

How much blue would it take to change bluish grey into a grayish blue? That seems to be the question posed by this particular living room decor. The handle hung silver frame indicates that this is the work of the Swedish firm “THG Home & Interior“.

This is definitely an innovative take on proudly displaying the family photos in the living room.

Candles are a great way to create ambiance in a living room. If you use them as your primary source of light for late night reading sessions curled up on the couch they can also help you save on energy bills. If there’s one downside to wax candles it’s that they can be potentially messy With this smart square candle holder, however, you don’t have to worry about having any wax inadvertently dripping onto the coffee table or the carpeting.

Aside from looking fantastic, these wicker carrying trays are also cheap, lightweight, easy to clean and unbreakable.

It’s hard to say what came first; were the two paintings hung above the stonework fireplace inspired by the turquoise and charcoal gray of the furniture or was the furniture selected based on the paintings? The quadrilateral forms in the upper half of the painting would suggest the former of the two scenarios. At any rate, the entire living room decor harmonizes nicely.

Here we see loft living at its finest. The bedroom, living room and kitchen are all perfectly compartmentalized yet accessible, and that light fixture surely makes for a great conversation starter whenever family or friends come to visit.

With a stack of 1 by 1 inch cuts of wood still wrapped up tightly in their packing strips, this coffee table takes rustic minimalism to a whole other level. The wood grain looks good in combination with the exposed brick of the interior.

We’ve already seen how orange scale tones and browns work extremely well together with achromatic grays (no hue) in a simple TV room in the family room. Here we see some color and design concepts at work with wondrous results in the lobby of a luxury lodge nestled in a stunning mountain location.

This living room roll with its built-in electric fireplace in its bottom right-hand corner is a rich shade of achromatic grey.

An achromatic color is one that has lightness, but no hue or situation, and is made by mixing complimentary colors together in perfect proportion so that they in effect cancel each other. There are three achromatic colors: black, white, and gray. Achromatic gray occurs when the the three rgb values (red, green, blue) are exactly equal.

Truth be told there isn’t much gray in this living room save for the coffee table with its old-world styled bowed legs. Right away one can’t help but notice the wooden floorboards and slats on top of the coffee table that run parallel to each other, and how these lines engage in clever interplay with the perpendicular lines formed by the wooden wall slats.

Gray lives smack dab in the middle of black and white. The black metal light fixture (formerly an extraction duct) and the gleaming white hue offered by the wooden slats provide the tow end points of a tonal spectrum that is filled in nicely with chromatic shades off the throw pillows, blankets and the rug. The light from the dark rose colored candles creates a nice cinereous hue in this living room.

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